Rohtak, May 29 -- Despite having processed around 10 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) of garbage in six months, Haryana continues to struggle with the gigantic issue of legacy waste which has reached 29.40 LMT. The Bandhwari site, situated on the Gurugram-Faridabad Road near the state's only metropolitan city of Gurugram, is emerging as the state's biggest environmental concern as this site alone accommodates a total of 13.81 LMT of legacy waste. A status report submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on May 21 by the Haryana government and prepared by the Haryana State Pollution Control Board revealed that managing legacy waste and bridging the gap in waste generation and management remain a significant challenge. However, the state government has set a target to make Haryana "legacy waste-free" by February 2027. The report, covering the period from July to December 2025, highlights remediation efforts and over Rs.2,000 crore spent on sanitation activities over the last three years. The figures in the report reveal that Haryana had 34.60 LMT of legacy waste lying at dumping sites as of July 1, 2025. Compounding the issue during the next six months by the end of 2025, another 5.62 LMT of fresh waste accumulated at these legacy dumps due to gaps in daily waste processing. The report claimed that the state managed to scientifically process and remediate 10.82 LMT of old waste during the period, leaving the total balance of legacy waste standing at 29.40 LMT as of December 31 last year. Across Haryana's 87 urban local bodies (ULBs), nearly 6,927 tonnes per day (TPD) of municipal solid waste is generated. While the government claims 100% collection and transportation of waste through 4,896 vehicles, processing infrastructure continues to lag behind in several towns, resulting in a daily urban waste processing gap of 3,055 TPD. Major waste processing gaps were reported in Gurugram (1,500 TPD), Faridabad (550 TPD), Manesar (200 TPD), Rewari (119 TPD), and Jind (102 TPD). Meanwhile, 14 legacy waste sites have been completely remediated, reclaiming nearly 40.7 acres of land in the past couple of years. Among the major reclaimed sites, Rohtak district topped the list, recovering around 18 acres of land after clearing old garbage heaps, while Pataudi Mandi reclaimed around 2.5 acres. As per the report, the year-wise expenditure spend includes Rs.644.17 crore in 2023-24, Rs.755.95 crore in 2024-25 and Rs.619.47 crore in 2025-26. Moreover, Rs.118.04 crore has been allocated specifically for legacy waste processing during FY 2026-27. On being asked about the state's plan to deal with the burden of legacy waste in Haryana, the director general and secretary of the Haryana urban local bodies department, Mukul Kumar, said that efforts are being made to deal with the waste, which has now come down to 28.12 LMT from the initial 29.40 LMT. Kumar said that the department was also working on a project to liquidate the waste for easier and faster disposal at the remaining 41 sites. Reacting to the gigantic issue of the Bandhwari landfill-a 30-acre municipal solid waste site located in the ecologically sensitive Aravalli range near Gurugram that receives over 1,600 tonnes of unsegregated waste daily from Gurugram and Faridabad-he said the Gurugram municipal corporation had awarded full remediation work for the Bandhwari site on January 30, 2026, and that scientific bio-remediation and waste processing work is expected to accelerate in the coming months....